OUR HERSHEYPARK SEASON PASS EXPERIENCE- PART 4
Hersheypark has over 70 rides and attractions for families to enjoy. Because my children are both tall enough for all the big kid/grownup rides, we skipped all the kiddie rides. By my count, this means there were 22 young-child-specific rides that we were either too tall for or bypassed. The only exception to this was a day when we were there with family and our children rode one or two kiddie rides with their younger cousins.
Our approach to the park was for our children (our youngest especially) to try something new each time we visited the park. We were kind and didn’t make them try too many new things each time, and we discussed our options before each visit to settle on one or two new rides for them to try. It worked out well, even if this slow and steady pace skewed our ride totals and Top 10. Through it all, we found some rides we all enjoy, as well as a few that have limited appeal for our family.
Through 20 separate trips to
Hersheypark, my family logged a combined 887 rides, 19 shows at the Music Box
Theatre, 6 entries to ZooAmerica, and 4 viewings of the Sea Life Friends
aquatics show. We should have gone to ZooAmerica more. While I used to view the
Music Box Theatre shows as a waste of time (and it might be if you’re only attending
once all season), it proved to be a valuable way to escape the summer heat and
warm up a bit during Christmas Candylane.
OUR TOP 10 RIDES
Thanks to a little conditional
formatting, my spreadsheet revealed what my family rode the most often. There
were a few surprises on this list:
Fahrenheit turned out to be one of my family’s favorite rides in the entire park. It was one of the rides neither of our children had ridden before, and they didn’t choose to try it until July. Had they braved it sooner, we would have hit this one more often. Its vertical climb is intimidating, but it sets up such a smooth and fun ride with its insane first drop. It’s one of the few coasters they no longer sell merch for, which is a shame- I probably would have bought a t-shirt. Pro Tip: Head for this one first once the back of the park opens. It only holds a few riders per run, so the line can back up.
Twin Turnpike-Speedway are the kid-friendly, slow-moving, rail-guided sports cars that my family utilized as a post-meal ride. The line makes it borderline not worth the wait (it’s tame, but quaint), but if you’re letting your lunch settle, it’s an easy choice. Kids love to “drive” the cars, and it has some cute, kitschy décor around the route.
Twizzlers Twisted Gravity was the new ride for 2025. It’s a massive gravity swing that sends you soaring over 100 feet in the air at 68 miles per hour. My youngest and I weren’t crazy about this ride, but my wife and our oldest loved it. With just a very snug lap/leg bar and no shoulder restraints, this ride makes you feel like you just might slip out of it, but you won’t. If more than half of our family had loved this ride, it probably would have been higher on this list. The line can get very long, so catch it early or watch the park app for short waits.
#7: Music Express (30 rides)
It can feel like there’s not a lot to do in the back of the park (Midway America), depending on your ride tastes. This is a simple ride where the lightest rider sides on the inside and physics gives them the pleasure of squashing whoever is unlucky enough to sit on the outside. That unlucky soul was almost always me. It’s easy, quick, and fun. Plus, if you brace yourself just right, it’s not too painful for those on the outside.
#6: Lightning Racer (40 rides)
This dueling racing coaster was a big deal when it opened in 2000, and it is one of the anchor attractions in the Midway America zone in the back end of the park. There is still novelty to hoping that your coaster train will beat the other, but I found that this ride beats me up more than I care for anymore. Our early-season runs seemed fine, so maybe as the wood swells in the summer heat, the ride takes more of a toll on your body. Partway through the season, this became a ride for our children rather than the four of us. The short line makes it appealing, but let the rider beware!
#5: Comet (42 rides)
Now 80 years old, this Hersheypark staple still has plenty of charm. The Comet is one of the oldest rides in the park, but its reputation as a classic means the line still gets long. It’s a kid-friendly coaster, so families flock to it. The big drops excite and the side jaunt after the double out and back segments is a nice way to ease back into the station. We probably would have ridden this more had the line not been as long as we usually found it. Wait times are hit or miss, so we passed on it a few times in order to get more rides in.
There is no better ride to follow up your lunch and/or dinner with than The Kissing Tower. Unless you’re afraid of heights, it’s a pleasant, leisurely, and air-conditioned journey 250 feet into the air. The view is great any time of day, though seeing the park light up in the evening is quite a sight.
SooperDooperLooper is another classic park ride, though I don’t recommend it right after a meal! This was Hersheypark’s first looping coaster. It may be tame compared to many of the rides installed since, but it gets the job done. It’s also another good gateway coaster for kids to warm up to as they graduate to the thrill rides. Wait times are unpredictable. It’s open during Sweet Start, so season passholders can bypass a number rides and start their day on this coaster. This ride was even open for much of the Christmas Candylane season. Our family got to be on the last run one December day before the cold temperatures shut it down.
#2: Fender Bender (48 rides)
Of all the fancy thrill rides Hersheypark has to offer, who could have guessed that the good ole bumper cars became one of our go-to rides? It’s situated at a crossroads point, where three sections of the park converge, making it an easy stop along your travels. There is usually a run or two’s wait, but the line is partially shaded and it’s fun to watch others test their skills at navigating the chaos of the track. My family had the most fun when we split up and tried to outrace or just clobber each other. No hard feelings allowed!
I shouldn’t be surprised to see this at the top of our list. Our youngest child was not a fan of the Wildcat’s Revenge coaster, so the four of us would split up- two riding Wildcat’s Revenge, and two of us riding this ride. It was also usually a staple of hitting the Midway America section of the park. The line typically moves fast, it’s a pretty reliable thrill, and it doesn’t abuse you like Lightning Racer does. It’s not our favorite, but it checks a lot of boxes as an as-needed ride.
IN CONCLUSION
Thank you for reading this post series! As you can see, Hersheypark season passes are clearly worth the money, and the meal plans may be as well, depending on how many times you plan on visiting. Our Top 10 list doesn’t reflect our truly favorite rides, but our season pass experience saw our children ride every ride in the park. We established a solid foundation for what our family will want to ride during future trips. We don’t plan on purchasing season passes every year, but, now that we know the value they provide over and above the purchase price, I wouldn’t be surprised if we decide to purchase them again some year further down the road. Maybe we'll see you there!
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